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Sunday, August 13, 2017

Getting Away From It All by Melanie D. Snitker

If your family is like mine, making time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life is both very important and something we don't do nearly often enough. Schedules get busy, and we tend to be more spontaneous when it comes to getting out as opposed to really planning things out in advance.

This summer, we decided to change that. We, along with some family, decided to go on a camping trip to Kerrville, Texas. It was just for two nights, but it's over three hours away. Just the right combination to get out of town and away from it all.

If you've never been to Kerrville, it's a gorgeous area right on the Guadalupe River. With a lot of green trees, grass, and flowing water, it's both serene and breathtaking. The last time my husband and I went camping there, it was for our second anniversary in 2002. It was fun to go back again.

It was hot. But we had a nice, shady campsite, and we all had fans running in our tents so that helped some. There was also a swimming pool at this particular campground, and we went swimming every day to try and cool off.

While camping, we enjoyed cooking and eating outside, watching the occasional firefly, making s'mores, and laughing as the kids played and had fun.

I even got to go fishing. *gasp* I can't remember the last time, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it! I didn't catch anything, but it was still a lot of fun.

The other thing I enjoyed was having the opportunity to sit back and just watch the wildlife. Like seeing the ripples in the water as the fish come to the surface, cheering my daughter on as she caught minnows, or chuckling when a squirrel ran down a tree trunk on the bank to get a drink of water.

I hope it won't be nearly as long until the next camping trip. The one thing I'd change is to wait until it's a little cooler out. Sometime this fall would be perfect!

Do you camp? If so, where is your favorite place to go?

~

Speaking of fall, I've been looking forward to cooler weather lately. Part of that is because it's been really hot in my area of Texas the last month or so. But it's also because I, Shanna Hatfield, and Liwen Ho have been working with seven other authors on a new project called Fall Into Romance.

The novellas in this boxed set have been so much fun! Fall Into Romance releases October 5th, but is available for pre-order now for only $0.99.

Savor the taste of spicy pumpkin, breathe in the cinnamon-laced air, listen to the sound of leaves crunching beneath your feet as you FALL INTO ROMANCE. This sweet collection of 10 new heartwarming novellas draws readers into the fictional town of Romance, Oregon — where adventures abound and love is in the autumn air!

From the time he was a child, Brent Todd has helped lost pets find healing and homes. Now, he runs Romance's Finding Forever Animal Rescue. Amid the dogs, cats, donkeys, goats, and exotic animals in his care, he convinces himself he has everything he needs. Then a beautiful woman and her son volunteer to help at the shelter. Brent soon realizes he needs more than the rescue animals to fill the empty spaces in his heart and home.

Dedicated to raising her son, Nicole Crawford views romance as a lovely idea. But between being a single mom and the pain of her past, she refuses to dwell on something so out of reach. To teach her son about helping others, they volunteer at Finding Forever on a temporary basis. But the more time she spends with Brent, the more she realizes it'll be impossible to walk away from him and the shelter with her heart intact.

Together, maybe Brent and Nicole will discover a forever family of their own.

2 comments:

Great post! Even though retired, I still watch 4 grandkids 50 hours a week. Love having a 3 day weekend. Living in SW Michigan it is easy to get away. We live 2 miles from one of the most romantic beaches in the Midwest - directly across the lake from Chicago. Thursday night hubby and I bought a Jimmy John and sat on the bluff in a white rocking chair overlooking the splash fountain & Lake Michigan. Then went to a concert in the park hosted by the local library. Haven"t been camping in over 30 years. Fall into Tomance is preordered and looking forward to an autumn boxed set. Autumn is my favorite time of year.